Keyano Huskies Weekend Preview: Soccer Huskies return home to host Wolves
Women's Soccer Preview
Games: Saturday at 2:00pm vs. Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves (0-2-0) at Shell Place
Sunday at 12:00pm vs. Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves (0-2-0) at Shell Place
Livestream available here
After a stop-and-start weekend in Edmonton the begin the season, the Keyano Huskies will return home to the friendly confines of Shell Place for their first two of five home games for the season.
“We’ve been coming together nicely,” Head Coach Tiffany Fontaine said. “I’d like to see a little composure on the field now that we’re settling into the season. It’s a good weekend to execute, back to back games.
“We unfortunately didn’t get the two 90 minutes last week so stretching our legs out too to see where our endurance is and keep us going for the rest of the season.”
While it’s just been one game, the Huskies enter the weekend sharing the unfortunate distinction of having zero points in the standings. They’ll look to change that against a Wolves team that they beat twice last year by scores of 11-0 and 3-0. The trio of Natalie Orellana, Marissa Mestre, and Nathalie Andersson each had a pair of goals in that sizeable victory last October. They’ll no doubt be on the hunt for more goals this weekend.
Player to watch: Marissa Mestre (Hamilton, Ont.)
The fourth-year has scored eight of her 18 career ACAC Regular Season goals at home and will be on the hunt for more this weekend. In five games against the Wolves, Mestre has tallied three goals and six assists. Mestre can also join a unique group soon. With two more goals, Mestre would join Natalie Orellana and Felicia Rodney as the only members of the Women's Soccer program to score 20 goals or more in a Huskies uniform.
Men's Soccer Preview
Games: Saturday at 4:00pm vs. Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves (0-1-1) at Shell Place
Sunday at 2:00pm vs. Northwestern Polytechnic Wolves (0-1-1) at Shell Place
Livestream available here
The name of the game for the Men’s Soccer Huskies is progression.
A 1-0 victory was enough last Sunday against the Concordia Thunder, but that won’t suffice every week for Head Coach Niels Slotboom and his crew.
“We’re one game in so still the concept of playing two games in a row is something we’ve still got to look at with this new team,” he added. “I think there’s lots of good moments we had in the first week, but also some that need some improving, which is what we worked on this week.
“We’re hoping to see that in the group.”
They’ll face a NWP Wolves team that battled their way to a draw with the Lakeland College Rustlers and took a narrow 2-0 loss in the second game of the opening weekend.
On the Huskies’ side, they’ll look to continue generating the same volume of chances against the Wolves after peppering their keepers with 34 shots on goal in last year’s doubleheader in Grande Prairie, Alta. The Huskies won those matches by 3-0 and 5-0 results, extending their winning streak against the Wolves to four games.
Ironically, former Wolf Dylan Stewart is the only current member of the Men’s Soccer Huskies with a goal against the Wolves.
Player to watch: Aaron Ernst (Edmonton, Alta.)
There’s something to be said for consistency and the calming presence one provides on the pitch. If all goes according to plan, Ernst will appear in his 25th-straight ACAC Regular Season game Saturday and could likely earn his 20th ACAC start in Sunday’s match. Though it’s not tracked as an official ACAC record, Ernst is on pace to rival some of the ACAC’s all-time best in terms of games played, which is an important characteristic in itself and showcases the faith Head Coach Niels Slotboom has in his central midfielder.